ELA/Science Connections

4th and 5th
Grade Next Generation Science StandardsFor the 2013-2014 school year, we will be focusing on the following standards which are found on both the 1997 California Standards and in the proposed Next Generation Science Standards.4th
Grade Plant and animal structures4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and
animals have internal and external structures that function to support
survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
[Clarification Statement: Examples of structures could include thorns,
stems, roots, colored petals, heart, stomach, lung, brain, and skin. Each
structure has specific functions within its associated system.] Weathering and erosion4-ESS2-1. Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation. [Clarification Statement: Examples of variables to test could include angle of slope in the downhill movement of water, amount of vegetation, speed of wind, relative rate of deposition, cycles of freezing and thawing of water, cycles of heating and cooling, and volume of water flow.]

Rock Formations and Fossils4-ESS1-1. Identify evidence
from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an
explanation for changes in a landscape over time. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence from patterns could
include rock layers with shell
fossils above rock layers with plant fossils and no shells, indicating a change
from water to land over time; and, a canyon with different rock layers in the
walls and a river in the bottom, indicating that over time a river cut through
the rock.] [Assessment Boundary:
Assessment does not include specific knowledge of the mechanism of rock
formation or memorization of specific
rock formations and layers. Assessment is limited to relative timeEarth’s features and hazards4-ESS2-2. Analyze and
interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features. [Clarification Statement: Maps can include topographic maps of Earth’s
land and ocean floor, as well as maps of the locations of mountains, continental
boundaries, volcanoes, and earthquakes.]
4.PS3-c Magnetic interactions